Why We Watch the Skies
by 200Raindrops
Summary: Mina's just moved from Johto to Hoenn, and she hopes her new home will fix some of the many things that are wrong with her life. Her dad's never around, her mom's fallen off the wagon, and she has to challenge the Pokemon League. Again. But things aren't changing much, so she's traveling across Hoenn for some time away. Too bad she can't seem to stay out of trouble...


The back of the moving van was crowded and dark. The only source of light was the faint glow of my game boy hovering in front of my face. Towers of boxes teetered precariously around me, threatening to spill over and crash at any second. I smiled softly as a chubby round man appeared on the screen in front of me. "Are you a boy, or a girl?" the text scrolled down the screen. I selected girl, absentmindedly shoving my bangs out of my face. I heard a loud thud, and for a second I was worried, but then I simply turned my attention back to my game.

My character was cute, with jet black hair tucked into a baseball cap and brown eyes. She wore a pair of red shorts and a black t shirt. I eagerly awaited for the cutscene to finish so I could start the game. There was a loud screech, and I felt a jolt. A few of the boxes fell over, narrowly missing my head. I cursed and ducked out of the way, and the moving van ground to a stop.

The doors swung open, and my mother stood outside the van, beaming at me. Two Machoke stood beside her, ready to move our stuff into the house. I clambered out of the back and hopped onto solid ground. My legs felt wobbly from not being used for six hours, and I teetered around for a while before I regained my balance. My mother giggled at my apparent discomfort.

"Gosh, Mina, your balance seems to be a little off. You okay?" she laughed. I rolled my eyes at her gentle teasing and finally turned to face our new home.

The house was smaller than my home in Johto, but it seemed cozy enough, with a bright red roof and shutters. It had a few pots of flowers resting in front of it, with a rickety old mailbox perched in front of the yard. I was a little unsure about the new house. It was definitely a change of pace, that was for sure. My mother came up beside me, and the Machoke moved past us carrying our things into the house. She smiled broadly.

"Oh, honey, your father is just going to love this place! Isn't it great?" she squealed, wrapping me in a hug. I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"It's awesome, Mom." I replied, unable to disguise a laugh at her excitement. There were stars in her eyes as she gazed upon our new home. She sighed happily, still keeping me entrapped in her arms.

"Oh, Mina. This is such a cute little town. Everyone here seems so nice! This house is just perfect for us." she exclaimed lovingly. I nodded. It was a fresh start. For my father, for me, for everyone in our family. And I had the feeling this little home in Hoenn was just what we needed. 

The Machoke finished loading our things into the house, and my mother and I began to unpack our boxes, arranging things just so. The house was smaller than I had expected, but it would suffice. The kitchen and dining room were downstairs and the two bedrooms and bathroom were upstairs. A tiny shed sat just behind the house. My mother was ecstatic at the idea of having a place to put her gardening supplies.  
I grabbed the boxes filled with my things and hauled them upstairs, entering my room. I opened up the first box and began unloading my stuff. My journal, my clock, my bag, my Wii U, everything was unpacked and put carefully in place. I finished unpacking my things by taking out a picture of my family all together at the lake, and placing it on my desk. I stepped back and took a few minutes to admire my work. Everything was in place except for my bed, which my mom was planning on helping me bring upstairs as soon as she finished dinner. Everything was in its exact place. I smiled broadly. It was perfect.  
I heard footsteps coming upstairs, and I turned, only to see my mother standing in the doorway. She looked a little tired, despite the smile on her face.  
"I'm glad to see you got your stuff all unpacked. One less thing to worry about." she sighed. I nodded. "There's a boy your age who lives next door. You should drop by and stay hi, make some new friends." her tone of voice was jovial, but something about her expression showed that this was more than just a suggestion.  
"Ok, I'll stop by there in a second." I responded, grabbing my journal and some snacks. I shoved them into my bag and slung it over my back. I hated not carrying things with me that I could potentially need. It made me feel like something was going to happen and I wouldn't be ready.  
My mother left the room and I followed her down the stairs. I figured visiting the neighbor boy wouldn't hurt, I didn't have much to do anyway. My mother sat down at the kitchen table, watching a program. It was showcasing gyms in the area. It looked like my dad had just been on TV, but she seemed to have missed it. She sighed. I frowned. She'd been sighing a lot lately. I had a slight suspicion that a new house wouldn't fix everything, but I pushed the thought out of my mind and left through the front door.

Littleroot town was quiet, with trees everywhere and birds singing cheerfully in the distance. It was nothing at all like Cianwood City. The silence was a little unnerving. I was used to the sounds of the city, with car horns blaring, pokemon everywhere, and people always talking, always making noise. This wasn't like that at all, and it was a little disturbing.  
Pushing the unsettling feeling away, I made my way across the lawn to my neighbor's house. A small sign was posted in front of it. It read in block letters, "Professor Birch's house." I frowned. Didn't mom say a boy my age lived next door? There was no way he was a professor. No one was that smart. I marched up to the front door and knocked three times. A voice from inside called out to me and told me to enter. I slowly pushed the door in.  
A middle aged woman stood in the kitchen, with her hair tied back and an apron tied around her waist. She was humming cheerfully and looked to be cooking tacos. She glanced up at me as I entered the house, and a wide smile crossed her face.  
"Oh, hi sweetie! You must be the girl that moved in next door." she smiled kindly and waved at me. "My Brendan is upstairs. Go on up and meet him! He was super excited to hear that someone his age was moving in." she continued. I was a little confused by that. Brendan's mom acted like she thought he was ten. I decided to ignore it and walked up the stairs.  
A door was halfway down the hallway with the words "Brendan's Room" written on it.  
"Well, I wonder who lives in here?" I muttered to myself, knocking on the door.  
"Come in!" a boy's voice called. I pushed open the door and let myself in.

A tall boy stood by his desk, going through his things. He watched me as I entered the room. I shuffled in quietly, suddenly feeling acutely uncomfortable. He didn't say anything for a minute, and simply studied me carefully. I was beginning to wish I hadn't come, when finally he walked over to me and smiled, extending his hand in greeting.  
"Hey, my name's Brendan. You just moved in next door, right? Nice to meet you." he introduced himself. I shook his hand.  
"Hi, I'm Mina. How's it going?" I asked, more for politeness rather than actually wanting to know the answer. He rubbed his head with a sheepish expression on his face.  
"This is kind of awkward, huh? Sorry. My mom was freaking out when she found out that your family was moving in. She seems to be convinced that I have no life and need new friends." he laughed. I smiled. He seemed fairly likable.  
"Yeah, my mom made me come over and introduce myself. She's worried I'll be too lonely or something." I explained, sounding exasperated. He laughed.  
"Yeah, I get that. My mom is worried I have no life. I mean, she's right, but I don't have to admit that." he replied. I nodded with a smile. This was turning out to be much less uncomfortable than I had anticipated.  
"So, have you already gotten eight gym badges?" he asked, seemingly curious. I nodded.  
"I moved here from Johto. I would've qualified for the Pokemon League but my dad said I was too young. He's the new gym leader in Petalburg City." I explained. His eyes widened.  
"That's impressive." he exclaimed, a new look of respect on his face. "Are you gonna try out for the league here?" he asked. I shrugged.  
"I've been thinking about it. The only problem is that the League in Hoenn is a lot more restricting. They won't allow any pokemon from any other regions to compete until you've beaten the Champion already. So I'd have to get a brand new team built up before I even thought about it. I've been thinking about traveling through the region to get some pokemon and leveling them up. It'll also let me get to know the area better." I replied. He nodded, seemingly lost in thought.  
"Hey, you should go find my dad. He's the leading professor in the region working with the Pokedex and Pokemon Identification. He just discovered a new species like last week. He can tell you some stuff about the region if you actually do want to traverse it." he said, running his fingers through his hair. It stuck up in all directions from his head, making it look like he'd stuck his finger into a light socket. He noticed me staring at it and he laughed, grabbing a white hat from off of his desk.  
"Sorry, I've got pretty bad hat hair right now. I almost never take this thing off." he admitted, yanking the hat down over his head. It suited him well somehow, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. He gave a cheeky grin and started towards the door.  
"I've gotta head out to route 102 and help my dad with some field work. It was nice talking to you. See you around!" he called. I followed him out of his room and down the stairs. He stayed behind to talk with his mother, while I left through his front door and went back to my house.

The walk back to my house was uneventful. The sun was slowly starting to sink to the horizon, leaving behind an empty blue sky. It was starting to get slightly chilly, or at least chilly by Hoenn's standards. I shivered slightly in my tank top and started to walk more quickly. I was a few yards away from the front door of my house when I stopped. The air suddenly felt heavy. I had the sneaking suspicion I was being watched. A sharp whistle sounded out of nowhere, and I whirled around, only to see nothing there. The atmosphere was growing heavy, and with a sudden feeling of dread, I turned my gaze towards the sky.  
A bright flash of light rocketed across the empty expanse of blue, leaving a trail of light behind it like a comet. A high pitched screech rattled the skies, screeching in my ears. I winced in pain and stuffed my fingers in my ears trying to block out the noise. The ground shook for a moment, and I struggled to keep my balance. Then, as soon as it had arrived, it was gone, leaving nothing behind but an empty blue sky and the quiet peace of Littleroot.

When I walked back into the house, my mother was still sitting at the kitchen table, fast asleep. A bottle was tipped over on the ground, and she was snoring thunderously. I frowned, and walked over to her. I stooped down to the ground and scooped up the bottle, tossing it into the trash. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nine o clock. Dad should've been home by now. He was probably still working. He'd said he was coming home tomorrow, and that he had a day off. Everything would be fine once he came back. A feeling of dread welled up inside my stomach, and I wiped my eyes furiously. Things were supposed to be different here. They had to be. Suddenly unable to bear the desperation I felt, I sprinted up the stairs and into my room, slamming the door shut behind me. I collapsed on my bed and curled up in a fetal position, trying to ignore the state my life was in.

The next morning was heralded by the loud cry of a Tailow flying past my window. I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned, not wanting to face the day. I rolled out of bed in a state of dishevelment. I'd fallen asleep in my clothes last night, and the sleep had been anything but refreshing. I felt stale, a day old, close to expiring. I could already tell this wasn't going to be my day.  
I stumbled out of my room and down the stairs into the kitchen. My mother was cooking omelettes and sausage, humming cheerfully. My dad was sitting at the table reading a newspaper. He looked up at me as I came down the stairs and smiled.  
"Looks like Sleeping Beauty's finally up." he laughed. I shrugged and made my way over to him. He gave me a quick hug and then turned back to his newspaper. I pulled out a chair and took my seat at the table. My mother wandered over bearing breakfast. I said nothing. I didn't want to mention the bottle.  
I dug into my omelette with gusto, devouring it like a starving man. My father was more calm, eating his food carefully, taking time to chew and taste each bite.  
"I've got work again tomorrow, Moira." he said, turning to face my mother. For a moment, her face registered irritation, but she smoothed it over with a smile and nodded.  
"Of course, Norman. That's fine." she replied. He smiled and turned back to his breakfast. I frowned. My dad never seemed to keep his attention on either me or my mother for longer than a few seconds.  
"I'm planning on stopping by Professor Birch's laboratory today. Brendan said I should go talk to him." I announced. My mother smiled.  
"That's great honey. You can go as soon as you make your bed and get changed." she responded. I nodded.  
"Ok, that sounds fine." I accepted her terms and turned back to my food. "Can I get seconds?" I asked. My mom laughed.  
"Of course, sweetie. You're sure growing fast, huh?" she sighed with happiness.  
"Mom, I'm seventeen. There's not much left for me to grow." I responded. She shrugged.  
"There's still a little bit left." she responded.  
"Are you planning on tackling the Pokemon League here in Hoenn, honey?" my father asked from behind his newspaper. I nodded slowly.  
"I'll be starting out a bit late, but I feel like it'll keep me occupied for a while."  
"When are you planning on heading out to challenge the gyms?" my mother cut in. I shrugged.  
"Sometime this week." I responded. My mother looked concerned. "I have everything I need, and I can always pick up more at the shops." I assuaged her fears. She nodded, not really paying attention to what I was saying.  
"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you in Petalburg, Mina." my father smiled fondly. I smiled as well, though I didn't really feel particularly happy about it. It seemed really strange to me that eventually I'd have to battle my own father. I finished my breakfast and excused myself from the table.  
I made my bed and changed my clothes, and finally left the house, leaving my mother and father behind. Professor Birch's lab was across the street, and there were no cars. I crossed it easily and walked inside.

The lab was clean and sparse, with white tile floors and white walls. Two bookshelves sat on either side of the room, and a large machine sat in the corner. A man in a white lab coat was examining it carefully and taking notes on a clipboard, muttering quietly to himself. I approached him.  
"Excuse me, sir?" I asked. The man turned to face me, and I jumped a little bit, mildly startled. The man wore the biggest pair of glasses I had ever seen, and they made his face look similar to a bug's. He peered at me through the thick lenses incredulously.  
"What do you want, miss?" he asked. His voice was creaky like old leather and didn't quite suit his appearance.  
"Oh, um, I was just wondering if I could speak with Professor Birch." I stammered, still rather unnerved by the man. He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.  
"Professor Birch isn't here. He's out doing field work somewhere around route 102. You can wait for him to come back or you can go hunt him down." the man replied. I nodded, slightly discouraged. I pasted on a smile and thanked the man for his help, then left the laboratory. I stopped for a moment before crossing the street and tried to consider what to do. I didn't necessarily feel like hunting down the professor, but I didn't want to wait for who knew how long either. I sighed and crossed the street, my mind made up. I started of towards the gate out of Littleroot, heading towards route 102.

The morning was hot, with the sun radiating heat overhead. Long stretches of tall grass sprawled out before me, and couple of little kids were running around through them. With my destination in mind, I set off in search of the Professor.  
I hadn't gone particularly far when I heard a sharp cry for help. I stopped dead in my tracks, and searched for the source. The cry sounded off again, and I spied a large chubby man running around in circles in the distance. I sprinted over to him, hoping I could help in time, praying that the man was alright, when I noticed that the man was wearing a lab coat.  
"Professor Birch!" I cried, running over to him, "Are you alright?" The Professor was still screeching for help, and didn't respond. I came into full view of the clearing he was at, and saw that the Professor was being chased around by a wild Poocheyena. I stopped for a second, an incredulous look on my face. The Professor was supposed to be incredibly smart, wasn't he? Could he really not handle a little Poocheyena? I walked over to him, and he turned his gaze towards me. His face lit up as soon as he saw me.  
"Quickly! I need your help! Can you fight off this Poocheyena for me? There's some pokeballs in my bag." he cried. Still rather underwhelmed by the urgency of the situation, I hurried over to the Professor's bag and searched through it. I found three pokeballs, each drawn on with marker. One had a green stripe drawn on, one a red stripe, and one a blue. I turned to face Professor Birch.  
"What pokemon are these?" I called out to him. He rolled his eyes.  
"Treeko, Torchic, and Mudkip! Does it really matter?" he cried. I ignored his protests and considered my options. Treeko was likely in the pokeball with green, Mudkip in the blue one, and Torchic in the red. I stood there for a moment trying to decide.  
"Please hurry!" Birch begged. I ignored him. I knew that he wasn't in that much danger. I finally grabbed the ball with green on it, and rushed over to the Professor. The Poocheyena turned its attention towards me, and let out a meager roar. I rolled my eyes at the asinine nature of the situation, and threw my pokeball, releasing the pokemon inside.  
"Go, Treeko!" I called, and tossed the ball out into play. Standing before me was a small pokemon who looked rather similar to a chicken. It had orange feathers with a tuft of yellow ones sticking out from the top of its head. It let out an excited chirp and turned to face the enemy. This pokemon was definitely not a Treeko. This was a Torchic.  
"What the hell?" I muttered. I turned towards Professor Birch. He shrugged.  
"Why was Torchic in the pokeball marked with a green stripe?" I demanded.  
"I felt like it." he responded. I stared at him with disbelief on my face.  
"So what, is Mudkip in the red one and Treeko in the blue one?" I asked. He nodded. "How does that make any sense?" I demanded. He shrugged again. I rolled my eyes and turned to the battle at hand.  
"Alright." I muttered to myself, "Torchic, use ember!" I called, raising my voice. The Torchic chirped happily and pranced around for a few seconds, before turning to face the Poocheyena and letting out a mighty call. It opened its beak wide and shot out a stream of embers, its plumage glowing with heat. The embers struck the Poocheyena in various places, singing its fur and maw. It let out a faint roar, then staggered forward two steps in an attempt to attack. It swiped its paw at Torchic, but the little chicken dodged easily out of the way and struck back with its claws. That did the Poocheyena in, and it collapsed on the ground, unconscious.  
The Torchic ran over to me and nuzzled against my leg. I smiled down at it. He was kind of cute. I picked him up and walked over to the Professor. He was out of breath and panting, doubled over from the exercise.  
"Thank. You. Very. Much." he panted out. "That. Was. A. Close. One." he gasped. I nodded, not really concerned with the overall state of his health. We both knew he'd be perfectly fine. The Torchic squirmed around in my arms, and I was struggling to hold him still. Professor Birch caught his breath and stood up to his full height. He was about a foot taller than me, and easily three feet wider. His face was covered with an impressive beard and side burns, and his lab coat stretched out over his stomach. He studied me carefully, in a manner similar to Brendan. I could now see the resemblance between father and son.  
"You did good with that Torchic just now, and he seems to like you." Birch commented. I shrugged nonchalantly. It hadn't been a big deal.  
"How about as a thank you, I let you keep that Torchic?" he asked. I looked up at him.  
"Are you serious?" I asked. He nodded. I smiled broadly. "Thank you so much!" I exclaimed. He smiled fondly down at me.  
"Are you gonna name him?" he asked. I looked down at my Torchic. He was very bright, and enthusiastic. I needed to find a good name for him, one that suited him.  
"Hmm." I thought for a moment, trying to decide what to name him. Then, I remembered. An old friend from Johto, one that I hadn't seen in a long time.  
"Yeah, I've got a name." I replied.  
"What is it?" he asked. I smiled sadly.  
"His name is Soren." I announced. The Torchic bounced around happily upon receiving his new name.  
"Soren, huh? Where'd you come up with that one?" he asked. I shrugged.  
"I've just heard it before, though it sounded cool." I explained, trying to sound nonchalant.  
"Well, he seems to like his name, so I think you did a good job there." Professor Birch laughed. I smiled again.  
"Why don't we head back to my laboratory? It's about time for me to be getting home anyway." he suggested. I nodded.  
"That's sounds awesome." I replied. We walked back to Birch's laboratory together, with Soren walking at my side.

I explained my desire to challenge the Pokemon League to Professor Birch and he gave me some background on the Hoenn region. I wrote it all down in my journal, thanked him, and was about to leave when he gave me one last piece of advice.  
"Hey, Mina!" he called. I turned back to look at him. "You've met my son, Brendan, right?"


End file.
